41.6

Risk Grade

Good

Stable moderate environment; military buffer constraints near Huachuca; conservative but development-friendly board; TEP and APS both active in county.

Assessment Snapshot

Population

126,279

State Rank

Compliance

38%

Trajectory

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium

No Moratorium

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements

Cochise County ZR: minimum 100 ft from property line for utility-scale (>1 MW). Additional buffer from residential areas per CUP conditions. Military flight path buffers near Ft. Huachuca.

Zoning Mechanism

CUP via Cochise County Planning & Zoning Commission in Rural (RU) or Agricultural (AR) zones. Board of Supervisors final approval for large projects. Military liaison coordination for Ft. Huachuca buffer zones.

Acreage Caps

None codified; individual CUP conditions may limit size.

Density Caps

None codified.

Spacing Rules

None codified.

Size Restrictions

No formal size restriction; military operational airspace near Huachuca may preclude some locations.

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis

Generally neutral-to-supportive; rural county with conservative leaning but pragmatic about economic development including solar; border security issues dominate local politics.

Basis for Assessment

Cochise County supervisors are conservative Republicans; solar development seen as economic opportunity in economically distressed southeast AZ; Ft. Huachuca military presence tempers some siting options but board generally accommodating.

Political Risk Factors

Stable

Board Members

Cochise County Board of Supervisors: Tom Brun (District 1) | R | 2026; Ann English (District 2) | R | 2026; Kathleen Riggs (District 3) | R | 2026.

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator

Tucson Electric Power (TEP) / APS / Western Interconnection (WECC)

Utilities

Tucson Electric Power (TEP) — UNS Energy / Fortis, Arizona Public Service (APS) — eastern portions near Willcox

State Permitting Process

Cochise County CUP via Planning & Zoning Commission and Board of Supervisors. Arizona One-Stop Shop. Military liaison (Ft. Huachuca AICUZ) for height/glare review if within buffer zone. State ACC not required for merchant projects. ADWR water rights review for any water use associated with construction/O&M.

State Incentives

No binding Arizona RPS. TEP voluntary renewable commitment. Federal ITC/PVTC. Property tax exemption for solar installations (ARS §42-11054). Sales tax exemption for solar equipment (ARS §42-5061). Enterprise Zone incentives in Douglas area.

Development Activity

Active/Completed Projects

Bisbee/Douglas area commercial solar projects | Various ~1–5 MW | County CUP approved Apache Solar (TEP/AES) | ~40 MW | Under development in SE Cochise County

Denied/Withdrawn Projects

No major denials on record; some CUP applications withdrawn due to site constraints.

Explore the Full Tracker

View risk assessments for all 3,100+ US counties, compare states, and download detailed ordinance data for your solar development pipeline.

Launch SolarRisk Tracker

Cochise County, AZ — Solar Development Risk Assessment